Cradle for coin sorter

ABSTRACT

A cradle for use in a coin sorter is provided with an adjustable biassing weight so that coins of less than an acceptable weight can be prevented from rocking the cradle.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Wilson M. Stewart 110 lsabella St., Ottawa. Ontario, Canada [21] Appl No 851,929 [22] Filed Aug. 21, 1969 [45] Patented July 6, 1971 [32] Priority Apr. 14, 1969 [33] Canada [31] 048,657

[54] CRADLE FOR COIN SORTER 2 Claims, 2 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S.Cl 194/103 [51] Int. Cl G071 3/02 [50 J Field of Search H 156] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,897,909 2/1933 Leeson 194/103 1,934,403 11/1933 Bugg 194/103 2,286.614 6/1942 Gabrielsen 194/103 X Primary Examiner- Samuel F Coleman Attorney-Smart and Biggar ABSTRACT: A cradle for use in a coin sorter is provided with an adjustable biassing weight so that coins of less than an acceptable weight can be prevented from rocking the cradle.

PATENTEU JUL 6 1971 INVENTOR WILSON M. STEWART ATTORN YS CRADLE FOR COIN SORTER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to coin sorters in which coins are sorted into their different denominations and slugs or spurious coins are separated from the genuine coins and rejected for return to the user of the vending machine or the like in which the sorter is located. More particularly, the present invention relates to cradles of the type used in such sorters.

It is common in such sorters to have a cradle mounted on a pivot so as to be biassed by its own weight distribution to a coin-receiving position. In this position it can receive a coin from a coin entry chute and be rocked to a coin-discharge position to deposit the coin on an inclined runway. In my Canadian Pat. No. 772,923, issued Dec. 5, i967, there are disclosed means for diverting an all-nickel 25 cent piece off said runway and leading it to an acceptance chute and it has now been found that a S-cent piece may be stamped to make it the same size as a 25 cent piece and it will be accepted as such. It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to improve the coin sorter to eliminate this possibility.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the invention a weight is movably mounted on the cradle and locking means is provided for locking the weight in any one of a plurality of positions whereby the bias of the cradle may be finely adjusted to prevent slugs or coins of less than acceptable weight, such as the enlarged S-cent piece mentioned above, from rocking the cradle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A presently preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary front elevational view of a coin sorter embodying the invention; and

FIG. 2 is a section on the line Il-ll of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The coin sorter has a back plate I and a spaced front plate 2 between which coins fall from an entry chute 3 in communication with the coin insertion slot at the front of a vending machine in which the sorter is located. A cradle 4 is mounted on a pivot 5 and has an enlarged portion 6 to the left of the pivot so that it is biassed in a counterclockwise direction to assume a coin-receiving position as shown in FIG. 1. The cradle has two arms 7 and 8 which pass through slots 9 and 10 in the plate 2 to bridge the space between plates 1 and 2. Thus, any coins or slugs which have a diameter larger than the space between arms 7 and 8 will seat upon these arms and the arrangement is such that the center of a coin or slug seated in the arms will be to the right of the pivot 5 so that the coin or slug will tend to overcome the bias of the cradle and rock it in a clockwise direction to coin-discharge position in which the arms 7 and 8 are at the other ends of slots 9 and 10 and the coin or slug rolls onto an inclined runway 11.

According to the present invention the cradle is provided with an adjustable bias so that spurious coins or slugs of less than predetermined weight can be prevented from rocking the cradle and thus from being accepted as genuine coins. Thus, a weight 12 is pivotally mounted at 13 on the front face of the cradle and is held in a selected position by means of a screw 14. The screw has a shank 15 which passes freely through a slot 16, which extends inwardly from the side edge 17 of the weight, and is screwed into a tapped hole 18 in the cradle. The screw also has a head 19 which overlies the weight at either side of the slot 16. it will be apparent that by loosening the screw, moving the weight about pivot 13 and tightening the screw again, the bias of the c'radle'may be finely ad isted. Thus, if a service man finds that at a certain location a large number of spurious coins or slugs of a certain type are being used and accepted and they are of less weight than the genuine coin, he can adjust the weight 12 to ensure that such spurious coins or slugs will not rock the cradle but genuine coins will.

As shown in FIG. 1, the weight 12 has an inwardly curved side edge 20 to extend around a boss 23 on the cradle around the pivot 5 and has convex upper and lower edges. It will be apparent, of course, that the weight may take other forms than that shown and may be adjustably mounted in a manner other than that shown, without departing from the invention.

Although FIG. 1 shows a device 21 for blocking passage of washers through the sorter and a device 22 for locking the eradle against full rocking movement under certain conditions, these devices form no part of the present invention and, therefore, need not be further described.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a coin sorter cradle adapted to be mounted on a pivot in a coin sorter so as to be biassed to a coin-receiving position, said cradle being adapted to receive a coin of acceptable size and weight in said position and be rocked against its bias by said coin to a coin-discharge position, the improvement comprising a weight movably mounted on said cradle and means for locking said weight in any one of a plurality of positions whereby the bias of the cradle may be finely adjusted to prevent rocking of the cradle by coins or slugs of less than acceptable weight, said weight having a slot therein and said locking means comprising a screw having a shank portion, passing freely through said slot and threaded into a tapped hole in the cradle, and a head portion overlying the weight at the sides of said slot, said slot extending in from one side edge of said weight and an opposite side edge of said weight being curved to extend around a boss on the cradle around the pivot.

2. A coin sorter as claimed in claim 1 wherein said weight is pivotally mounted, near a lower edge thereof, on the cradle. 

1. In a coin sorter cradle adapted to be mounted on a pivot in a coin sorter so as to be biassed to a coin-receiving position, said cradle being adapted to receive a coin of acceptable size and weight in said position and be rocked against its bias by said coin to a coin-discharge position, the improvement comprising a weight movably mounted on said cradle and means for locking said weight in any one of a plurality of positions whereby the bias of the cradle may be finely adjusted to prevent rocking of the cradle by coins or slugs of less than acceptable weight, said weight having a slot therein and said locking means comprising a screw having a shank portion, passing freely through said slot and threaded into a tapped hole in the cradle, and a head portion overlying the weight at the sides of said slot, said slot extending in from one side edge of said weight and an opposite side edge of said weight being curved to extend around a boss on the cradle around the pivot.
 2. A coin sorter as claimed in claim 1 wherein said weight is pivotally mounted, near a lower edge thereof, on the cradle. 